Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Monday, 15 February 2021
Thursday, 29 March 2018
A STEM Haggadah
Are you all ready for Pesach? Of course not! The list of
things which require attention at Pesach time seems endless. I'm not here to help you clean, menu plan or decorate. I'm here to think about the children.
Small children always require attention. And to be learning. And to actively engage in
open-ended learning. And to have Torah values in all of their thoughts. And of course
STEM learning. Since these priorities were all at the top of your Pesach prep
list, I have helped you out with a STEM Haggadah and Pesach toy.
This Haggadah is a series of pattern block challenges. Pattern blocks were invented fifty years ago to enhance mathematical, geometric reasoning, critical assessment, and creative design.
Lay the pattern blocks inside of the Seder related images. Testing how to manipulate each of the six shapes to best create the picture. Creating their own images is part of the fun as well.
Children can use this Haggadah, before, during, and after the Seder to enhance their learning and keep them quietly engaged. You're welcome.
Pattern Block Haggadah
Chag Kasher v'Sameach!
Thursday, 9 February 2017
Beshalach, so many miracles to celebrate!
Again, we did numerous parasha projects. I recommend replicating some more than others. I'll start with the craft and move to the food.
The sea splits and the Jewish people walk through on dry land! What could be more exciting?!? I have acted this out in many ways, with many groups, like this or this or this. Usually I think 'go big or go home' but this time, I decided to go small.
I found these cute templates at artistshelpingchildren.org to make everyone involved in the story.
The girls got to work coloring and cutting.
And assembling
We mixed flour, water, and blue food coloring, and loaded them into a large ziplock bag.
Then they out on a show. Cohava filmed and did two takes. Which do you prefer?
On Monday we had a huge snowstorm! It was very exciting for everyone.
"How so?"
"Well, it was white and fell from the ground and was edible," she reasoned.
We decided to take snow and add the flavors of maan,
| 31The house of Israel named it manna, and it was like coriander seed, [it was] white, and it tasted like a wafer with honey. | לאוַיִּקְרְאוּ בֵית יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת שְׁמוֹ מָן וְהוּא כְּזֶרַע גַּד לָבָן וְטַעְמוֹ כְּצַפִּיחִת בִּדְבָשׁ: |
Before Cohava recommended snow maan, it was my plan to make Rice Krispy treats. The cereal looks remotely like coriander seeds.
Cohava excitedly started cooking.
I was only joking!
At school I made 'maan' cookies. The lesson was meant to be, "Wow manna was such a miracle from Hashem!" "Wait all food is a great miracle from Hashem!" Not sure how well they got it. But they ALL remembered that 1) we made maan cookies last year 2) I accidentally put in a tablespoon of salt, instead of a teaspoon. The moral for me is that experiential learning (especially edible) really sticks with a person!
Friday, 6 January 2017
Vayigash- Say it before you go!
The ultimate resolution and denouement occur in this week's perasha. It is all very happily ever after (for a little while) but there is a dearth of perasha projects on Vayigash.
I looked at Yaakov's preparation to leave Israel for Egypt. He brings a sacrifice and then has a conversation with Hashem. I connected this with Tefilat Ha'derech, the prayer we say before travel.
In school we talked about travel. We played, "I'm going to Mitzrayim and in my suitcase I packed...". The kids really enjoyed it. Then they voted on how they thought Yaakov and his family traveled to Egypt. They were disappointed that 'car' was incorrect.
In pre-school, 3rd grade, and at home, we made tefilat hadrech cards/key chains! (And talked about sacrifices not being allowed on airplanes).
On the back they glued a poem I wrote
"Before I travel a long way
I take a moment to stop and pray
Like Yaakov, when he went away
Tefilat Haderech is what I say"
1) Cut out words and glue to cardstock ( I found pre-cut ovals).
2)Decorate paper.
3)Poke hole in top and laminate.
Tada
Rocking it, with Tefilat Hederech on my handbag!
My initial plan was to focus on the social emotional pieces, as they are more intense than anything we generally face. I read some blogs about the best way to say 'I'm sorry', and made an action plan. I gathered the family, and the whole plan collapsed with too many emotional pieces for me to contain! The little girls stayed and made these, but the concept was too hard for them. (Sometimes people ask me how I come up with so many great ideas. Sometimes I come up with great ideas that just don't work out,)
May Hashem help keep our failures small, our successes huge, at home and on journeys!
This was a neat image puzzle that spelled out 'Tell the Truth" we pretended it was hieroglyphics. When I find the link I'll share it.
I looked at Yaakov's preparation to leave Israel for Egypt. He brings a sacrifice and then has a conversation with Hashem. I connected this with Tefilat Ha'derech, the prayer we say before travel.
In school we talked about travel. We played, "I'm going to Mitzrayim and in my suitcase I packed...". The kids really enjoyed it. Then they voted on how they thought Yaakov and his family traveled to Egypt. They were disappointed that 'car' was incorrect.
In pre-school, 3rd grade, and at home, we made tefilat hadrech cards/key chains! (And talked about sacrifices not being allowed on airplanes).
On the back they glued a poem I wrote
"Before I travel a long way
I take a moment to stop and pray
Like Yaakov, when he went away
Tefilat Haderech is what I say"
1) Cut out words and glue to cardstock ( I found pre-cut ovals).
2)Decorate paper.
3)Poke hole in top and laminate.
4) String beads onto a zip tie. (I love zip tie beading, like we did here for Vayetzei)
Tada
My initial plan was to focus on the social emotional pieces, as they are more intense than anything we generally face. I read some blogs about the best way to say 'I'm sorry', and made an action plan. I gathered the family, and the whole plan collapsed with too many emotional pieces for me to contain! The little girls stayed and made these, but the concept was too hard for them. (Sometimes people ask me how I come up with so many great ideas. Sometimes I come up with great ideas that just don't work out,)
May Hashem help keep our failures small, our successes huge, at home and on journeys!
This was a neat image puzzle that spelled out 'Tell the Truth" we pretended it was hieroglyphics. When I find the link I'll share it.
Thursday, 13 August 2015
Having a Field Day with Re'eh
Over the summer, parasha projects are not just for my offspring or my students. It includes all of my campers. This was the case last year, but Eikev was the last week of camp and we did this. This year for Eikev I tried to focus on the connection between food and the land of Israel and make "Al Hamichya" cards. Honestly, the campers couldn't sit still long enough to appreciate the connection and the lesson/project was not a real success. Therefore, Re'eh's project did not allow them to sit still at all!
Re'eh includes 55 mitzvot, many of which are outlined elsewhere in the Torah, so I focused on the topics I knew they were already acquainted with, to work on reinforcement.
The camp was split into two teams, each with a counselor to guide them. (Interestingly, the counselors' names are Yehoshua and Ezra. I used this as an opportunity to tell the campers about the leadership of Yehoshua Bin Nun and Ezra HaSofer. They were intrigued).
I explained Hashem's directive of "Re'eh" as I did here. I explained that we would have a series of competitions to see who was best at keeping the mitzvot.
The first competition was on the mitzva of destroying all of the idols in the land. Before the kids came outside we hid 25 of the same item in the backyard (we had some old hand fans, but any item would work). The teams went on a scavenger hunt to find the idols.
Kids love a good treasure hunt and this was not exception. They gave the "idols" to their captain for destroying.
The next game involved the laws of kosher animals. We reviewed what qualifies an animal as kosher. what fish need, and the interesting details about birds.
I printed pictured of many different kosher and not kosher animals (and laminated them for future use). On one end of the room all of the pictures were arranged. On the other side the teams were set up for a relay race. The runner, with bowl in hand, chooses an animal picture, puts it in the bowl, runs back, and passed only the bowl to the next teammate.
Choosing an animal wasn't so easy.
When everyone had a picture, each camper had to say if their animal was Kosher and why.
Next we discussed the prohibition of cooking a kid in its mother's milk and who keeps how many hours between meat and milk.
Each team was given a bowl of mixed pony beads and a chart for which colors were milk, meat, and pareve. They each had cups for these 3 categories and competed to see who could get the right beads in the right cups the fastest.
[In addition to the Kashrut lesson, this is great for skill building in fine motor, sorting, and team work. Also, later the girls enjoyed making jewelry with the sorted colors.]
The end of the parasha focuses on Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. I asked the campers what these festivals are called collectively. Of course Gabi was the first to yell out, "The Shalosh Regalim!" I asked if they knew what this meant, and some campers knew, "the three foot festivals" and why.
To celebrate this, we had a three-legged race!
This very active parasha competition went very well. May your week be active, but only filled with positive competitions.
Re'eh includes 55 mitzvot, many of which are outlined elsewhere in the Torah, so I focused on the topics I knew they were already acquainted with, to work on reinforcement.
The camp was split into two teams, each with a counselor to guide them. (Interestingly, the counselors' names are Yehoshua and Ezra. I used this as an opportunity to tell the campers about the leadership of Yehoshua Bin Nun and Ezra HaSofer. They were intrigued).
I explained Hashem's directive of "Re'eh" as I did here. I explained that we would have a series of competitions to see who was best at keeping the mitzvot.
The first competition was on the mitzva of destroying all of the idols in the land. Before the kids came outside we hid 25 of the same item in the backyard (we had some old hand fans, but any item would work). The teams went on a scavenger hunt to find the idols. 
Kids love a good treasure hunt and this was not exception. They gave the "idols" to their captain for destroying.
The next game involved the laws of kosher animals. We reviewed what qualifies an animal as kosher. what fish need, and the interesting details about birds. 
I printed pictured of many different kosher and not kosher animals (and laminated them for future use). On one end of the room all of the pictures were arranged. On the other side the teams were set up for a relay race. The runner, with bowl in hand, chooses an animal picture, puts it in the bowl, runs back, and passed only the bowl to the next teammate. 
When everyone had a picture, each camper had to say if their animal was Kosher and why.
[In addition to the Kashrut lesson, this is great for skill building in fine motor, sorting, and team work. Also, later the girls enjoyed making jewelry with the sorted colors.]The end of the parasha focuses on Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. I asked the campers what these festivals are called collectively. Of course Gabi was the first to yell out, "The Shalosh Regalim!" I asked if they knew what this meant, and some campers knew, "the three foot festivals" and why.
To celebrate this, we had a three-legged race!
This very active parasha competition went very well. May your week be active, but only filled with positive competitions.
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